McCain wants Rice to say 'I was wrong'

11/18/12 11:20 AM EST

Arizona Sen. John McCain said on Sunday he wants U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to publicly announce she was wrong in saying the attack in Libya was sparked by spontaneous protests to an anti-Islam Internet video.

"She has a lot of explaining to do," the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

If Rice came back on "Face the Nation" and acknowledged she was wrong, McCain said, it would help her case in the Senate if President Barack Obama does nominate her to succeed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

McCain also responded to Obama's strong defense of Rice last week in his White House press conference.

"I wish the president wouldn't get mad at me," McCain said. "I wish he would spend our time together in finding out what happened, what caused it."

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said on the same show that Republicans were being "fundamentally unfair" in calling out Rice because eight years ago Condoleezza Rice was held to a different standard when Democrats questioned her role in misleading Americans regarding intelligence in Iraq.

"To say that (Susan Rice) has to be held accountable when intelligence agencies didn't tell the whole story initially for reasons of national security is totally unfair," Durbin said.